Chsistoph mettler



may `15, 1923. 1,455,301

Y C. METTLER, SR

GRAIN ELEVATOR Filed July 9, 1920 2 sheets-sheet 1 a; CT'

WITNESSES May 15, 1923.

Y Filed July 9,

c. METTLER, sR

GRAIN ELEVATOR 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTRIVEYS Patented May 15, 1.923.

CHRISTOPH ,ivrnfrTLEn7 sn., or MENNdsoUTH DAKOTA.

GRAIN nnnvaron.

y. Application filed July 9,r

To all whom-t 11mg/ concern", f y I Be yitknown that I, CHRISTOPH Mn'rrnnn,

Sr., a citizen of the United States, and a' resi,-l

dent of Menno, in the county. of Hutchinson and `State of South Dakota, have invented j certain new,y and .useful mprovements 1n` improvements in -sive pressures and undesirable overflow resulting from clogging ofthe elevator system are automatically prevented,` the excessive grain being received andcarried ofl' byv means provided for that purpose. v s n Another object ofthe invention is to proyvide an improvement of this character of simple and durable .construction` reliable in` operation and easy and inexpensive of manufactural y Other objects and advantages ,reside '111 `certain novelwfeatures ofy the construction,

particularlypointed out in theappended ,f claims, reference ybeing had .to the accompanying drawing, in which- 3 p F igurel is aside elevational view of the improvement;v s f f f. `Figure 2 isa transverse verticalvsection of a portion thereof; f 'f Figure 3, is an end elevation of the distributor head and its associated structure;

Figure 4 is a detail view in horizontalv sec tion, on the line 444 of Figure l.

Referringto the drawings, it will be seen that the invention is embodied in a grain elevator which includes an elevator discharge head 10 having, as usual, an inclined bottom 10a, which receives the grain from the buckets 12a of an elevator 12. The elevator 12 picks up and raises the grain from` the grain pit or similar structure (not shown). A distributor head .1 3 yreceives the grain from the lower open end of the elevator dis-1y charge head. `As shown in the drawings,the distributor head `13 is provided at itsupper end with an outwardly extending flange 13ak desired bin, freight car or the like.

spout., y

`The offset 13c of the distributorhead is 19,20. "Serial No. 395,051.

tributor heady is inclined or angularly formed ywithrespect to the upper half so as to proof the distributor head is provided with an` inturned marginal fiange 13d, as clearlyshown in Figure 2. A discharge hopper 14 is provided at its upper end with lan out wardly extending marginal flange 146.L which engagesthe flange 13d of the distributor head and is secured thereto byv securing means l5. s 'y lA swiveled delivery spoutl `is carried by the lower end of the hopper 14 and isfadapted to be turned to deliver the grain to the For this purpose the lower end of the hopper 14 is provided with an annular collar 14b having` an yarcuate circumferentially extending slot 14,formed therein. The upper end of the swiveled delivery spout is. rotatably fitted over the collar .14 and vis provided with a radially extending pin 16?;which operates in theslot 14 of the collar, thereby preventing displacement' ofthe spout from.

the. collar while permitting relative rotary' motion thereof. A turning post-17 facilitates the adj ustmentrof the swiveled delivery provided with an opening 13e in itsouter wall. This opening being `formed inf the lower end of the door 13f is weighted, as at 13b, so that the door is normally maintained closed. A return. chute 18 for the grain has its upper open end 18aidispose'd directly beneath the vent opening 13e to receive the flow from the opening. The return chute 18 is provided with a laterally extending lug 18h secured as at 18c to the flange 141 of the hopper k14. The return chute 18 delivers the grain which flows therethrough from the yopening back to the grain pit or the like frein which the grain was originally raised by the elevator.

' ln practice, it will be seen that normally the grain is raised by the elevator 12 and delivered from 'the buckets 12a thereof to the inclined bottom 10a of the elevator discharge head 10, The grain flows along the lOl! bottom 10u to the distributor head 13 in which it strikes the surface 13b and is defiected into the hopper 14 and thence through the swiveled delivery spout 16 to the desired grain bin, freight car or the like. During this operation the vent opening and its door are latent as they are well out of the path of the grain and in no way concernlits normal How. Should, however, the delivery spout, hopperiof theilike become clogged or otherwise` resist the liiow` of the grain there through the grain would1 tend to pile up and vrise in the system and eventually overliow through the elevator discharge head, mixing and scattering the grain. Moreover, if it weref'not relieved, the pressure thus created in the system would be so serious as to frequently yresult in injury or rupture of someof the elements of the system. These undesirable conditions obtained in the artheretofore, but in this invention, as soon as the grain piles up into the elevator dischargeheadit, of course, spreads laterallyand its `weight and pressure swing the closure 13f outwardly so that the grain Hows through the'openinginto the `return chute 1S andthiough the returnchute back to the grain pit; rlhis return iiow of the grain is equal to the feed thereof bythe elevator 12so that the grain cannotrise higher than the opening. This entirely relieves the excessive pressure which` would otherwise exist and it also prevents the mixing up or scattering ofthe grain. It is entirely automatic in its operation andl requires no attention, for assoon as the clogging is relieved the grain again flows in rits normal path and does not exert any pressure or force upon the swinging closure 13f which swings inwardly to fclose the opening.

I claim: 1. In a grain elevator, a distributor head havingfa passage through which grain is having a )assao'e through .whichorain is` 2D b b 2D adapted to flow, said distributor head having an offset portion.provided'with anlopenf ing laterallyv spaced from the normal pathof the grain, a swinging door having its lowerA end weighted for normallyclosing said opening and operable by the pressure of the excessive `grain accumulating within the dis trihutor head to uncover said opening and permit discharge therethrough, and a chute arranged to receive the grain discharged from said opening.

3. In a grain elevator, an elevator dis-v charge head, an elevator `for raising the grain thereto, a swiveled delivery spout, a

distributor head arranged between-said elevator discharge head and said deliveryspout and having a passage extending fromk the distributor head to the delivery spout andv through which the grain is adapted to -iiow, said distributor head being also provided with an offset portion'havingan opening laterally spaced from the normal path ofthe grain through the distributor head,vmeans for normally closing'said openingand operable by the pressure of excessive'grain within said distributor head to normally open said opening and permit discharge,

therefrom, and a return chute arranged to receive the grain discharged from the opening and to deliver -to the source of supply of the elevator.

CHRISTOPH METTLER, rSii'. 

